India explores special visa options before UK PM Theresa May’s visit

India is looking at a special visa facilitation arrangement with UK, that would help Indian students and businessmen among others, during the visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India from November 6 to 8.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May smiles during a bilateral meeting with Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos at 10 Downing Street in London.(Reuters)

India is looking at a special visa facilitation arrangement with the UK, that would help Indian students and businessmen among others, during the visit of Prime Minister Theresa May to India from November 6 to 8.

Though the UK has conveyed the visa-rule changes are not aimed at India, sources said within that caveat measures can be taken which would help Indian visa applicants who don’t come under the “immigration” category.

Indian students in the UK have halved from about 40,000 to 20,000 in the last five years. Indian officials said various measures have led to this fall in numbers.

For example, as home secretary, May wound up the Tier 1 post-study visa scheme for students. This visa had enabled foreign students at British universities could work in the country for two years after the completion of their studies.

“We have raised our concerns on the difficulties being faced by Indian students with the UK side. We expect mobility issues to be raised during the visit,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said on Thursday.

The visa rules have also affected other categories. Chefs at curry houses are among them, and most of these chefs go from South Asian countries to work in the UK.This is May’s first outside European Union. May along with Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the India-UK Tech Summit on November 7.

A meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) chaired by minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman and UK secretary of state for international trade Liam Fox will be held during the visit.